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"However, our officers are no fools and let this be yet another warning - break the law, and we will catch you.”

Andy Hermiston, head of trading standards, said; “The seizure of such a large quantity of illegal cigarettes and tobacco is a major success for the team.

What was found by trading standards at Eastgate Street shop

“We want to urge the public to think about the consequences of buying illegal tobacco and to report the sale of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.”

If residents have any concerns about tobacco products being sold at shops in the county, they can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06, or use the ‘report a rogue link’ on the consumers page of the trading standards website www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/glos

It is reported illegal tobacco is responsible for four times as many deaths as drugs, and that 4,000 fewer people would die each year from smoking-related illnesses in the UK if tobacco smuggling were wiped out.